SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man has joined his brother in pleading guilty to a conspiracy to distribute more than $1.2 million worth of synthetic marijuana.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says 32-year-old Eric Scott Reynolds, of Lebanon, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to commit mail fraud and money laundering. His brother, 35-year-old Stephen Brian Reynolds, of Eldridge, admitted the same charges in August.
The brothers will be sentenced later, but their plea agreements require them to forfeit about $1.2 million plus real estate, motor vehicles and firearms.
Stephen Reynolds owns a Lebanon store called Lucky’s Novelties, where his brother also works.
Prosecutors said that from March 2011 until they were charged in December 2012, they distributed about 373 kilograms of synthetic marijuana from the store.
The next phase of renovations to the Patee Market Health Center will cause issues for patients trying to access the building through the main entry.
Starting Monday, Oct. 20 the front door which serves as the main entrance to the health department will be closed. Patrons can still access services but will need to enter the building from the South door for Social Welfare Board services or the Northwest door for Health Department services.
The lobby and access to the elevator will be closed for around two weeks. According to a News Release from the health department, renovations are expected to be complete by the end of October.
Vital records will close Friday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. to relocate to the first floor. Individuals needed to obtain Missouri birth and death records will not be able to do so again until Monday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Long before he was a U.S. Senate candidate in Kansas, Greg Orman was a young businessman in Minnesota with a bright idea.
As a recent college graduate, Orman founded Environmental Lighting Concepts in 1992. The company updated older buildings with more energy efficient lighting fixtures — often with an enticement of rebates from utility companies.
The lighting company is where Orman first tested the business acumen that he now touts in his campaign as an independent challenger to Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. It’s where Orman began building his wealth. And it’s where he started a pattern of developing, expanding and then selling businesses after they became profitable.
Those who worked with Orman at his first business describe a man who seemed driven to succeed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is authorizing the Pentagon to call up reserve and National Guard troops if they are needed to assist in the U.S. response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The U.S. has already committed to sending up to 4,000 military personnel to West Africa to provide logistics and help build treatment units to confront the rapidly spreading and deadly virus.
Obama signed an executive order Thursday that permits the Pentagon to use the reservists and Guard troops.
Obama also notified top congressional officials of his move.
Nearly 4,500 people have died from the Ebola outbreak, most of them in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The White House has said the troops will not be providing direct health care aid.
Authorities are asking for public assistance in locating 27-year-old Jasen Wright after he escaped from the Mercer County Jail last night while on recreation time.
Wright is described as a white man around 5’6″ and weighing 120 pounds. He was last seen heading east from the Mercer County courthouse wearing an orange and white striped jail uniform, orange jail shoes and a black hoodie.
He was being held on a probation violation and tampering with an electronic monitoring device.
Mercer County Sheriffs Dept. Courtesy Google Maps
Mercer county said Wright is not consider to be a violent individual. However, if you have information about his whereabouts contact law enforcement officials.
A shred event will be held this weekend for community members to securely dispose of important documents.
“Your personal security is very important,” said BMO Harris Bank Service Manager, Stacy Holmes. “In order to help everyone keep their financial information and personal information safe it’s a big benefit for the community for us to host this event and have everyone be able to come shred their paperwork for free.”
The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon at BMO Harris Bank located at 4305 Frederick Ave.
Holmes says a shred truck that the bank uses to shred its own personal documents will be on hand for the event.
“We suggest any old tax documents older than 7-years, any old bank statements, credit card states, utility bills, or even any credit card offers that you would receive in the mail. Anything that would any of your personal information on it we suggest that you shred,” said Holmes. “It’s important to shred it instead of just throwing it away because there’s a lot of people committing fraud.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Democratic Party has fired its communications director over an online posting mocking three towns in the state’s southeast corner in crude language.
Party Executive Director Jason Perkey announced the dismissal of spokesman Dakota Loomis on Thursday.
Loomis posted a comment last week about the towns of Cherryvale, Columbus and Galena on a site dedicated to University of Kansas basketball. The since-deleted statement called them leading contenders for “most craphole small towns” in the state.
Perkey called the comment reprehensible. He said he and State Democratic Chairwoman Joan Wagnon will travel Monday to southeast Kansas to offer personal apologies.
Loomis issued a statement apologizing and saying people should not hold his comment against Kansas Democrats.
Several Republican state senators from the area had called upon Democrats to fire Loomis.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Democratic Party has suspended its communications director over an online posting deriding three towns in the state’s southeast corner in crude language.
State Democratic Chairman Joan Wagnon said Wednesday that party spokesman Dakota Loomis was suspended without pay until Monday, when she will re-evaluate his status.
Republican state Sens. Jeff King of Independence and Jake LaTurner of Pittsburg said Loomis should be fired over his posting about Cherryvale, Columbus and Galena. The since-deleted comment called them leading contenders for “most craphole small towns in Kansas.”
The Pittsburg Morning Sun reported that Loomis posted the comment on a site dedicated to University of Kansas basketball.
Loomis did not immediately return a cell phone message seeking comment. Wagnon and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis called the comment inappropriate.
ABILENE, Kan.- Two suspects were arrested following a high-speed chase Thursday morning on Interstate 70 in Dickinson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an officer attempted to pull over a vehicle for a traffic violation just before 10 a.m. at Niles Road in Saline County.
The vehicle refused to stop. Officers deployed stop sticks and stopped the vehicle just east of the Russell Stover-Fair Road exit in Dickinson County.
Marisa Gross, 24, Kansas City, Mo., and Moses French, 29, Denver, Co., were taken into custody. Officers say they face numerous drug and other charges per the Saline County Attorney.
Edison students design “Chicken Little” pumpkin. Holding sign that says “The Sky Is Falling”
The title of “best pumpkin” is up for grabs at Edison Elementary as 19 classrooms compete for the trophy.
fourth-grade teacher, Jackie Holzhey said the competition was started last year as a morale boost for the kids.
“Get all the kids involved in working as a team and working together,” said Holzhey.
Each classroom in the school has picked a theme for their pumpkins and students are working together to design what they hope will be the winning gourd.
“I painted the white on there and I did the two sides,” said fourth-grader Isaiah Maxey.
Al Williams said he picked out the baseball theme for his fourth-grade class pumpkin.
Fourth-grade class paints baseball pumpkin
“I helped paint it,” said Williams. “It’s a baseball.”
Each classroom will create their pumpkins this week, then they will be displayed for parents to see. Holzhey said next week students will get to vote on their favorite pumpkin which cannot be their own. The classroom that wins will get a trophy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new report by a federal consumer advocacy office says many Americans saddled with high-cost private student loans are falling into default.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says in its report today that companies servicing these loans are not offering reasonable options for new terms.
It says distressed borrowers are getting too little information or assistance when they run into trouble trying to keep up payments on their private student loans. And it says affordable repayment alternatives often are not available.
The agency also says complaints by borrowers are rising. It says it received about 5,300 complaints between Oct. 1, 2013 and Sept. 30, 2014. That’s up 38 percent from about 3,800 complaints the previous year.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created by Congress during the Obama administration as part of bank reform legislation.
